Approximately 150 miles west of
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, Smith Bay stretches from Dease Inlet, Alaska to Cape Halkett, Alaska. Bordered by
barrier islands that separate the shallow,
brackish waters from the Beaufort Sea, several slow-moving rivers flow into this region. Along with its adjacent waters, Smith Bay is a shallow-water estuary.
Fauna
Smith Bay is a significant hotspot for
pinnipeds.[2] The nearshore areas are important habitat for
ringed seals that come to the
landfast ice during the winter and spring to give birth.[3]
Polar bears and
bowhead whales rely on Smith Bay for important foraging habitat.[4][5] Polar bears have been observed using Smith Bay as a major maternal denning area to raise their young.[6]
There is a known
oil seep at Cape Simpson on the western side of Smith Bay. In 2015 and 2016, Caelus Energy Alaska drilled two exploration wells in the southern part of the bay.[8] In October 2016, the company announced what it called a major oil discovery in the bay and said it would drill a third well in January 2018 and proceed with permitting a pipeline afterwards.[9] A pipeline under the
Chukchi Sea or a pipeline on land close to "Qupaluk" (“small bird” in the Inupiaq language) would be required, threatening the habitat of at least 30,000 migratory birds.[10]
^National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ["Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas Coastal and Ocean Zones Strategic Assessment: Data Atlas"], NOAA, 1988.